A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Volume 11 eBook

and these were to attend us till the provisions we
had on board were so far consumed as to make room
for the additional quantity they carried, which was
then to be taken into our ships, and they were to
be discharged. Besides the before-mentioned complements
of men borne by the ships as their crews, there were
embarked in our squadron about 470 invalids and marines,
as particularly mentioned in last section, under the
denomination of land-forces, which were commanded by
Lieutenant-Colonel Cracherode.

With this squadron, together with the St Albans and
Lark, and the Turkey trade under their convoy, we
tided down channel for the first forty-eight hours.
In the morning of the 20th, we discovered the Dragon,
Winchester, South-Sea Castle, and Rye, with a number
of merchantmen under their convoy, waiting for us
off the Ram-head. We joined there the same day
about noon, the commodore having orders to see them,
together with the convoy of the St Albans and Lark,
as far as their course and ours lay together.
When we came in sight of this last-mentioned ship,
Mr Anson first hoisted his broad pendant, and was
saluted by all the men-of-war in company. After
joining this last convoy, we made up eleven men-of-war,
and about 150 sail of merchant ships, consisting of
the Turkey, the Straits, and the American trades.
The same day Mr Anson made a signal for all captains
of men-of-war to come on board, when he delivered
them their fighting and sailing instructions, and
then we all stood to the S.W. with a fair wind; so
that next day at noon, being the 21st, we had run forty
leagues beyond the Ram-head. Being now clear
of the land, our commodore, to render our view more
extensive, ordered Captain Mitchell, in the Pearl,
to make sail two leagues a-head of the fleet every
morning, and to repair to his station every evening.
Thus we proceeded till the 25th, when the Winchester,
with the American convoy, made the concerted signal
for leave to separate, and this being answered by the
commodore, they left us, which, was done by the St
Albans and the Dragon on the 24th, with the Turkey
and Straits convoys.

There now remained only our own squadron and the two
victuallers, with which we stood on our course for
the island of Madeira. But the winds were so
contrary, that we had the mortification to be forty
days on our passage to that island from St Helens,
though it is often known to be done in ten or twelve.
This delay was most unpleasant, and was productive
of much discontent and ill humour among our people,
of which these only can have an adequate idea who
have experienced a similar situation: For, besides
the peevishness and despondency, which foul and contrary
winds, and a lingering voyage, never fail to produce
on all occasions, we in particular had substantial
reasons for being greatly alarmed at this unexpected
impediment; since, as we departed from England much
later than we ought to have done, we had placed almost
all our hope of success on the chance of retrieving